Category Archives: Criminal Defense
Defendant Awarded New Trial On Appeal
In the case of People v. Hayes, the defendant, Hayes, was found guilty of two counts of armed violence and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. The defendant was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 25 years on the armed violence counts. His other sentences were to be served concurrently. The… Read More »
Defendant Denied Fitness Hearing Raises Issue on Appeal
In the case of People v. Doolin, the defendant was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder, one count of armed robbery, and two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. He was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life in prison for the murders and 43 years for armed robbery. On appeal, the… Read More »
Defendant Charged with Home Invasion, Weapons Offenses Has Appeal Dismissed
In People v. Wiley, the defendant was charged with four counts of home invasion. According to the charges, the defendant entered the victim’s dwelling while armed with a firearm. The state made four allegations of what happened while the defendant was in the victim’s home. They claimed: The defendant threatened the use of imminent… Read More »
Defendant Charged with Home Invasion Denied Pretrial Release Under SAFE-T Act
There are a lot of cases before the appellate court concerning Illinois’ recently passed SAFE-T Act. The Act did away with cash bail and gave judges discretion on who can and cannot be released prior to their trial. Today, hearings are held on whether or not the defendant can be released while they are… Read More »
Defendant Charged with Criminal Sexual Assault Attempts to Withdraw Guilty Plea
In the case of People v. Smith, the defendant was charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault as well as one count of unlawful restraint following an incident with an unnamed victim. The defendant initially told the court that he intended to rely on a defense of consent. The state rebutted this defense… Read More »
Defendant, Found Guilty on Two Counts of Predatory Sexual Assault, Loses Appeal
In the case of People v. Hinman, an Illinois jury convicted the defendant on two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and one count of criminal sexual assault. The defendant was sentenced to 55 years in prison and 3 years to life of mandatory supervised release. The defendant appealed his conviction…. Read More »
Defendant, Found Not-Guilty by Reason of Insanity, Appeals Denial of Transfer to a Less-Secure Psychiatric Facility
In People v. Haynes, the defendant was charged with attempted first-degree murder on April 29, 2002. In July of that year, the trial court ordered that the defendant should be evaluated to determine his fitness to stand trial. An independent psychiatrist found that the defendant was unfit to stand trial. The defendant was ordered… Read More »
Murder Defendant Moves to Suppress Evidence of Text Messages on Cellphone
In the case of People v. Price, the defendant, Price, was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury of his peers. As a result, he was sentenced to a 60-year prison term. He later appealed the conviction on the grounds that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated. On July 22, 2015, the defendant was… Read More »
Defendant Appeals Convictions of DUI Causing Death on Ground of One-Act, One-Crime
In the case of People v. Rynders, the defendant was charged with two counts of DUI causing death. He entered a negotiated plea of guilty and was sentenced to 10 years for each charge to be served consecutively. He appealed his sentence. In this case, the appeals court found that the defendant waived his… Read More »
Court Denies Pretrial Release Under SAFE-T Act for Defendant Accused of Firearms Offense
In People v. Forthenberry, the defendant was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm (a class 1 felony), two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (a class 3 felony), two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (a class 3 felony), and one count of possession of a weapon… Read More »